Adventure is Out There
by nutellaismydrug
Summary: Glee/Up Crossover. Burt Hummel is just going through the motions, before something clicks and he decides to fulfil he and his late wife's lifelong dream of going to Paradise Falls…before these plans are changed by a young Wilderness Adventurer!
1. Chapter 1

"Adventure is out there!" Said the voice in Burt's head as he ran on his short little legs down the street that he lived on. He made the small obstacles in his path out to be the biggest ones in the world: the Grand Canyon, Mount Everest…

He had just been to see the film made by Charles Muntz, the most famous explorer in the world. Burt idolised the man: it was his ambition to follow in his footsteps to become a world-famous explorer. His mother had bought him a balloon with "Spirit of Adventure" written on it, which Burt was pretending was the actual Spirit of Adventure, which was Charles Muntz's blimp.

Then he heard a voice. "Adventure is out there!"

It had come from the old, abandoned house on the street that everyone avoided, because the older kids said that it was haunted.

But Burt was an adventurer.

He went in through the front door. He hadn't noticed that 'Spirit of Adventure' was written in black ink on the faded wood.

When he walked in, there was a girl at the front window with a makeshift steering wheel, yelling commands to what Burt imagined was her imaginary crew. She was wearing a flying cap, similar to his own.

Lost in his thoughts, he hadn't noticed her walk over to him. "What are you doing?" She yelled in his ear. He started, accidentally letting go of his balloon, which floated up to the roof.

Lizzie talked at Burt some more, but Burt didn't hear exactly what she said: he was distracted by his balloon drifting at the roof.

"Do you think you've got what it takes?" Lizzie asked excitedly. "Well, _do you?"_ She cried. Burt shrank back from the girl, whose expression softened. "Alright, you're in. Welcome aboard!" She said, reaching out a hand for Burt to shake. When he didn't respond, she looked confused. "What's wrong? Can't you talk?"

Burt still didn't move.

"Hey, I don't bite!" She said softly, slipping off her hat to reveal bright blue eyes and fluffy, dark brown hair. She took a safety pin with a purple 'Grape Soda' bottle lid on it off her own jacket and pinned it to Burt's. "We're in a club now!"

She looked a lot more certain about the arrangement when Burt smiled at her.

"I saw where your balloon went!" She said happily. "Come on, let's go and get it!"

Burt watched her trot out of the room, still feeling as if he was frozen to the spot.

"My name's Lizzie!" She said, poking her head around the door.

Lizzie grabbed his hand, pulling him out of the room and led Burt up the rickety stairs and, before he knew it, he and Lizzie were standing on the dilapidated wooden floor of the first floor of the house.

Burt and Lizzie stood still, looking at the balloon, which was still floating at the ceiling. There was no floor underneath it, save for a plank of wood sticking out, which looked ready to collapse at any given moment.

"Well, go ahead!" Lizzie encouraged, giving Burt a gentle shove towards the plank. Burt took a moment to pull his flying goggles down, before stepping out onto the plank. He took a step further…

Before he fell.

After being taken to the hospital – Burt's first time in an ambulance – he had a cast on his arm. Later that night, he was sitting on his bed; his Grape Soda badge pinned proudly on his pyjama shirt.

Long after the sun had disappeared below the horizon, Burt's balloon from earlier floated into the room, bumping gently against Burt's injured arm. He jumped, letting out a small cry of pain.

"Hey, kid!" Came a voice from the window. Burt screamed, raising his injured arm in defense but accidentally hitting himself in the face in the process. When he looked up, though, Lizzie had climbed into the open window. "I thought you might need cheering up, so I have something to show you!"

The two of them – well, mainly Lizzie, due to Burt's injured arm – spent a while making a durable blanket fort, before turning on some lamps and sitting in it.

"I am about to show you something that I have never shown another human being. _Ever._ In my _life."_ Lizzie said mysteriously. Burt sat back a bit, widening his eyes in alarm.

"Swear not to tell _anyone,"_ Lizzie said. Burt nodded. "Cross your heart! _Do it!"_ She yelled, leaning towards Burt slightly.

Burt hastily crossed his heart with his right index finger.

Lizzie brought out a brown scrapbook, with_ 'My Adventure Book'_ embellished in colourful print on the front. She opened it, revealing a picture of Charles Muntz on the Spirit of Adventure. Burt grinned at the picture.

"When I get big, I'm going where he is, South America!" Lizzie said excitedly. She flicked the page over to a map that Burt recognised as America from his few geography lessons at school. "It's like America, but south. Wanna know where I'm gonna live?" She asked.

Burt nodded.

She turned the page again, revealing a picture of a huge waterfall. "_'Paradise falls, a land lost in time',_" Lizzie read. "I ripped this out of a library book!"

Burt looked at her in shock.

"I'm gonna put my clubhouse right there!" Lizzie said, ignoring Burt's shock. She pointed at a colourful drawing of the clubhouse that she had glued onto the picture of Paradise Falls. "And when I get there…"

She turned the page again. It read _'stuff I'm going to do'_.

"I'm saving these pages for all the adventures I'm gonna have when I get there," She said. "Only…I don't know how I'm going to get there." She continued. She looked crestfallen as she closed the book.

Burt thought for a moment, before looking at his model of the Spirit of Adventure blimp. Lizzie practically leapt up in excitement.

"That's it! You can take us there in a blimp!" She cried. "Swear you'll take us there! Cross your heart! _Cross it!"_ She said, bouncing up and down slightly in excitement.

Burt crossed it.

"You promised. Now you can't back out, you _have_ to take us!" Lizzie said.

Burt shook his head.

Lizzie jumped up. "Well, see you tomorrow!" She called, jumping out of the window. "Adventure is out there!" She cried.

Burt stared at the spot where she had just disappeared. Suddenly, her dark brown hair appeared again.

"You know, you don't talk very much," She said matter-of-factly. Burt blushed slightly, not knowing whether it was a compliment or not. "I like you!" Lizzie continued, before disappearing again.

Burt smiled, leaning against the balloon for a moment before it popped with a loud bang.

* * *

Years later, Burt and Lizzie were standing at the altar, Lizzie wearing a white dress, Burt in a tuxedo. Their hands were intertwined, before the priest said six words that every groom can't wait to hear, but before Burt could lean over to kiss Lizzie, she had leapt at him and given him a firm kiss on the lips.

On one side of the church, Lizzie's family began leaping up and down in excitement, taking photos and cheering and clapping, wearing clothes of many bright colours; while on the other side, Burt's family remained seated, clapping politely and wearing subdued clothes in various shades of grey.

* * *

Later that day, Burt carried his new wife over the threshold of their new house: the clubhouse where they first met. It was still as dilapidated as ever, but they got to work immediately, re-doing the house so it looked as good as new.

They bought new furniture, including hand-picked armchairs for each of them, which they placed side by side in front of the bay windows at the front of the house.

They bought a new letterbox, which Lizzie painted their names onto the side of in green and red. As she finished, Burt walked over and leaned against the letterbox, leaving a purple handprint on the side. He looked at it in horror for a moment, before Lizzie started laughing. She dipped her hand in the red paint and pressed it against the letterbox, right below where Burt's handprint was.

The couple painted the house in bright colours, so that it matched the drawing that was in Lizzie's Adventure Book.

* * *

They both had jobs at the local Zoo: Lizzie worked in the 'South America' house as a zookeeper, looking after various exotic birds and other animals. Burt worked outside it, selling balloons to children as they went in and out of the South America house.

Lizzie stepped out of the building, a parrot perched on her forearm. Burt said hello to her, and the parrot, as she grinned at him. He didn't notice that his balloon cart was being lifted off the ground. When Burt noticed Lizzie laughing at something behind him, he turned around and hastily grabbed his balloon cart before it floated out of his reach. Both of them laughed.

* * *

Burt and Lizzie frequently visited a tree on top of a hill, where they spread out a blanket and had a small picnic. When they had finished eating, they lay in the grass and pointed out the shapes that they could see in the clouds.

One day, Lizzie pointed out a cloud shaped like a baby. Burt agreed. Suddenly, all the clouds seemed to somehow resemble babies. Burt and Lizzie looked at each other, hopeful smiles on each of their faces.

When Lizzie was pregnant, they decided to make a nursery for the baby, painting a stork on the wall, buying the perfect crib and furniture…

Before Lizzie had a miscarriage.

Lizzie sat in a wooden chair in the hospital as the doctor explained the science of it all. Burt could only stand by and squeeze her shoulders reassuringly.

The next day, Lizzie was sitting in the garden on a lawn chair, her hair out of its usual ponytail. A soft breeze occasionally picked up her hair. She looked very young all of a sudden. Burt walked cautiously out of the house and slid the Adventure Book onto Lizzie's lap. She looked at it in surprise, smiling.

* * *

Over the years, Burt and Lizzie began a 'Paradise Falls Fund'. Despite their efforts to save, they often broke the jar when they needed the extra cash: when the car blew a tire, when Burt broke his leg, when a tree fell and smashed the chimney…

* * *

Every morning before work, Lizzie did Burt's tie for him. It seemed small, but to both of them, it was special: a small part of their routine that brought them that little bit closer together every day.

Lizzie straightened Burt's tie every day. One day, after she'd straightened it, she wrapped an arm around his shoulders, and the couple looked at themselves in the mirror. They had grown older together: Lizzie had found her first grey hair only a few weeks ago; Burt had lost most of his. They both had a few wrinkles, but neither of them cared.

No matter how long they were together, Burt and Lizzie never got bored. They found new ways to love each other each and every day.

They still worked together at the zoo, and were now well-loved employees: the children who had once bought balloons from Burt were now buying balloons for their own children and gasping in admiration as Lizzie brought out a brightly-coloured parrot to say hello.

* * *

One day, while Burt and Lizzie were cleaning the house, Burt picked up a picture of Lizzie from their childhood, her flying hat and goggles on her head. His eyes traveled to the mural of Paradise Falls that Lizzie had painted years ago.

They never had got to go there, even just to visit.

This struck Burt with an idea.

They still had time left: he went to the local travel agents and bought plane tickets to South America.

* * *

He planned to unveil the tickets to Lizzie on their next picnic.

He rushed up the hill faster than he had in a good twenty years. The plane tickets were hidden under the blanket in the picnic basket. Burt had almost reached the top, but he turned around to see Lizzie hesitate, and fall to the ground. She tried to get up, but fell over again straight away.

Burt hurried to her side.

* * *

Lizzie was lying in a hospital bed, reading her Adventure Book. There was a sad smile on her face as she turned carefully through the old, slightly yellowed pages.

As she read, a blue balloon floated into the room with a present attached to it, tapping her gently on the arm as it reached her. She looked up at it and smiled when she caught sight of Burt at the door, looking less smart than usual in a flannel shirt and jeans. He walked over to her.

Lizzie reached up and weakly patted Burt's cheek, before adjusting his tie. Burt leaned over and kissed her on the forehead.

They smiled at each other, words that didn't need to be said hanging in the air between them.

* * *

Burt sat on the steps of the church that he and Lizzie had married in, but this time, he was alone, surrounded by brightly-coloured balloon and flower arrangements. Members of his own family had turned up to offer their condolences; and members of Lizzie's family too, although this time, they were wearing all black as well.

When the funeral was over, Burt returned to the empty house carrying a blue balloon so similar to the ones that had marked momentous events in he and Lizzie's life together.

* * *

**A/N**

Oh my goodness, I don't think I've ever cried while I was writing something before this.

I can't watch Up without crying my actual eyes out…the start is the worst, then as it goes on I can't stop thinking of it and…

Okay, sorry. Up was on TV the other day, and I decided to watch it, and I thought _'oh hey, Carl is kind of like Burt!'_ and of course, this came out.

I'll still be doing the Hummel Twins, but I just couldn't stop thinking about this, so maybe it will help inspire me to do the next part of the Hummel Twins!

I hope you all enjoy it!


	2. Chapter 2

There was one word to describe Burt Hummel's life at present, and that word was boring.

After Lizzie had died, the zoo had given him compassionate leave, but had never asked for him back.

Because of this, he had joined up with an old friend to share ownership of a garage. He enjoyed working there; the monotonous tasks and steady flow of people took his mind off things that were painful to think about.

Even so, there were still the days on which Burt didn't work. These days seemed to pass as quickly as a snail in a slow race.  
Burt woke up and ate his usual breakfast (Diet Coke and some Slim Jims), before going outside to sit on the front porch.

Usually he would prefer to sit inside, but he liked to spite the fat cat builders who were trying to claim Burt's land to continue building their fancy new shopping centre or block of flats or whatever.

He sat on the bench and was just beginning to relax with a car magazine he had found in the local newsagents, when one of the builders shouted over to him.

"Good morning, Mr Hummel!" He called, overly cheerful. "Decided to give us your land yet?" He asked, a hopeful look in his eye.

"No." Burt said firmly, not even looking at the man.

With a sigh, the builder walked away, leaving Burt to his day.

* * *

Later on, Burt was sitting on the sofa, about to read his car magazine that had been interrupted earlier by the builder. He was getting into an article about improved engine quality, when the doorbell rang.

Burt gave a heavy sigh and trudged towards the door to answer it.

He swung it open to reveal a little boy wearing some kind of Boy Scout uniform: an orange shirt and hat, a maroon neckerchief and sash covered in badges, and a brown backpack that was about 10 times bigger than the boy himself.

"Good morning- no, sorry, good afternoon, my name is Kurt and I'm a Wilderness Explorer in tribe 54, sweat lodge 12! Are you in need of any assistance, sir?" He said monotonously, obviously having read this a thousand times over. When he was finished, he looked up and smiled.

"Uh, no thanks, buddy," Burt said

"I can help you cross the street!" Kurt suggested hopefully.

"Your yard? Your porch?" Kurt asked, each suggestion getting shot down by a small shake of Burt's head. "Well I've got to help you cross something!"

"I'm fine," Burt said, stepping back and closing the door. After a moment of standing beside the closed door, he opened it again to check if the little boy was still there or not. As soon as the door opened, the boy started again.  
"Good afternoon, my name is Kurt and I'm a Wilderness Explorer in-"  
"Kid"! Burt said loudly. Kurt looked up.

"Sorry, but I don't need any assistance," Burt said gently but firmly.

"But I need to help you with something!" Kurt said. He sounded worried. "See the gap?" He asked, pointing to the only vacant spot on his sash. "I need to assist and old person, and you're the only one left in the area!"

Burt looked dumbfounded. "I'm not that old!" He said. Kurt looked sheepish, staring at his toes. "Uh, look, you can help me with something," Burt said. He felt bad, but it had to be done. "You can help me find the snipe!" He said, trying to sound believable.

"The snipe?" Kurt asked, sounding confused.

"Yeah, it's a bird that lives somewhere around here," Burt said, shrugging. "It likes it when you clap 3 times in a row, and you have to whistle and call it!"

Kurt saluted Burt, before turning around and walking into the front garden. He clapped 3 times over and over again, whistling and calling 'snipe'. Burt couldn't help but chuckle at the stupidity of it all.

As he watched Kurt wandering down the street, still clapping and whistling, a cement truck reversed towards his house. It kept going, and Burt expected it to stop, until it drove into Burt's letterbox with a resounding crunch.

The letterbox promptly tilted to one side, hanging off its post precariously.

Burt ran over. "What did you do?" He asked, infuriated.

"I didn't mean to, I'm sorry, I can fix it!" The truck driver said hurriedly, obviously flustered.

"Don't touch that!" Burt cried, attempting to grab the letterbox, his hand resting over Lizzie's purple painted handprint. The driver continued to apologise, but the letterbox slipped out of both men's grips at the same moment, causing it to fall, landing on the driver's foot with a painful-sounding crunch, which attracted the attention of everybody nearby.

Burt sheepishly took a hold of the mailbox. "I'm sorry," He said quietly. The driver looked at Burt, surprise in his eyes. Without saying anything, he picked up a leaflet, which had fallen out of the letterbox and handed it to Burt.

It read 'Shady Oaks Grief Support'. Burt sighed. Maybe he could use some help after all.

That night, after he had phoned the Grief Support group, the Paradise Falls painting on the wall above the fireplace caught Burt's eye. His gaze drifted towards the last photo of Lizzie that was taken before her death.

"I'm gonna fulfil our dream, Lizzie," He said, touching the photo gently, a determined glint in his eye.

* * *

The morning after, a minibus in a cheerful shade of light yellow full of miserable-looking people parked in front of Burt's house. A pair of men with fake smiles plastered on their faces disembarked, walking towards the front door of the brightly painted house.

Burt opened the door a few moments after they knocked.

"Good morning, Mr Hummel, are you ready to leave?" One of the men asked kindly.

"Yeah, I guess so," Burt replied. "Can you just give me a minute or two?"

"Of course," The man replied kindly. As the two of them began walking back towards the minibus, the fake smiles instantly disappeared from their faces.

"He's probably gone to pee for the thousandth time." The other man grumbled, opening the driver's door of the minibus.

As he opened it, though, bright colours began appearing on everything: the car door, his hand, the surrounding buildings…the man turned around to see a myriad of balloons rising from the chimney of the house. There was so many of them that the house was ripped from its foundations, floating up into the air.

It flew dangerously close to the men's heads, before going straight up just in time to avoid colliding with the buildings.

"See you on the other side, boys!" Came the triumphant voice of Burt Hummel, who was leaning out of the back window of the house as he floated away.

As he floated above the large town, Burt attracted lots of attention. People in the streets craned their necks and ran around corners to keep the incredible flying house in their sights; the occasional window cleaner gave him a confused wave.

Burt gave an exultant laugh, flopping back on his sofa and opening the car magazine. He was halfway through another article before there was a knock on the door. Burt practically threw the magazine onto the table, before walking out the room, not even trying to suppress a sigh.

He swung the door open, expecting a curious bird or something. Instead, however, he was met by a boy. The same boy who Burt had sent down the road in search of a non-existent snipe.

"Kurt?" Burt said to the boy, who was clinging to the side of the house in terror.  
"I was looking for the snipe and I though I'd look under your porch, but I saw a thing, and now we're flying and I'm scared," Kurt babbled.

Burt sighed exasperatedly and closed the door. Even when it was shut, he could still hear Kurt's terrified little pants. He opened the door again, looking down at the little boy.

"Please?" Kurt said to Burt, looking up and smiling hopefully.

That was what made Burt's decision.

It wasn't Kurt's smile – not that he didn't have a nice smile – but it was his eyes. They were bight blue, looking greyer or greener every few seconds as if they couldn't decide what colour to stay.

They were Lizzie's eyes.

Burt stepped back, letting the little boy hurry into the house. He dropped his massive bag, and stood timidly in the middle of the room.

"Uh, feel free to take a seat, buddy," Burt said, motioning towards the sofa. Burt hopped up onto the squashy sofa, crossing his legs neatly.

Since realising that Kurt's eyes were practically identical to Lizzie's, Burt couldn't help noticing how similar the little boy was in general to his wife.

His dark, shiny brown hair; the proud way in which he held himself; his impossibly pale complexion; and of course, his eyes.

* * *

**A/N**

****Eeeee this is fun! Little Kurty-pie is such a cutie!

Hope you're enjoying this, I certainly am! Thank you for your faves/alerts, and your reviews :D

_ALSO,_ super-special mention and congratulations to Mr Christopher Paul Colfer, whose film Struck by Lightning is premiering at the Tribeca film festival in New York today! I really wish I could be there to see it, but unfortunately I'm stuck in miserable, cold Scotland with important exams looming. Oh well, it's something to look forward to!


End file.
